June 20th, 2024 at 06:16 am
Good News: Biden to Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Apply for Green Card
Biden will waive fines for US citizens’ undocumented spouses. A significant turning point in President Biden’s presidency will be his impending unveiling of a comprehensive immigration policy that will provide legal status to hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants who are married to US citizens.
In light of the current discussions and obstacles surrounding immigration reform, Biden’s dedication to enhancing protections for immigrant families and navigating challenging legal and political environments is demonstrated by this project.
Plans to make it easier for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who are married to US citizens to qualify for legal status will be unveiled by President Biden. In one of the largest immigration initiatives of his administration, President Biden will on Tuesday make it possible for hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants who are married to US citizens to petition for legal status.
The policy change is a daring move for the Democratic president months before the November elections, according to two Federal officials who know the plans. It also serves as a rebuke to Congressional Republicans who have disregarded his calls to increase border security and establish a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who have lived in the country illegally—many of them for decades.
At a party held at the White House to commemorate the 12th anniversary of another executive action taken to benefit immigrants, Biden will disclose the plans. On June 15, 2012, President Barack Obama announced as vice president that he would provide work permits to undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors. This initiative changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
US Citizenship through Marriage
Getting US citizenship by marriage is usually a quick process for immigrants who enter the country illegally. Still, they must overcome substantial bureaucratic obstacles that can keep them in transit for years. According to federal law, these immigrants must leave the country for up to ten years before applying to return, but the immigrants argue that this is an excessive penalty.
Undocumented spouses who have jobs and are raising small children but are concerned about their ability to return to the United States can now apply for legal status with Biden’s approval without having to leave the country.
One of those invited to Biden’s statement at the White House, a 27-year-old immigrant from Sierra Leon who is married to a US citizen, stated, “It’s just too much risk for me to leave my wife, my son, and everything we’ve established in the United States.” When he was seven in 2003, he broke into Mexico to join his mother, who had previously left that nation’s War.
He currently holds a work permit through Obama’s 2012 program and works as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, but he stated that he wants to become a citizen.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to discuss the concept, federal officials estimated that 50,000 undocumented stepchildren and 500,000 undocumented spouses of US citizens would be eligible to apply. In addition to meeting additional standards, immigrants must have resided in the United States for at least ten years.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
Biden is also anticipated to unveil a work visa initiative for individuals currently enrolled in Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was shut down in 2001 when the Trump Administration attempted to cancel it and labeled it an illegal form of amnesty.
According to a federal judge in Texas, DACA is only available to those who already exist. Biden will permit certain dreamers to apply for work visas during the case’s pendency, giving them a stronger legal foundation than the Deferred Action Program. The spokesperson stated that specifics for both initiatives are still being finalized and should be released to the public in the upcoming summer.
According to officials, following conventional immigration procedures, applicants must meet certain standards and successfully pass criminal background checks.